ABSTRACT
Abstract Colonizations/Infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales are of great clinical and epidemiological importance due to their rapid dissemination and high mortality rates. In this scenario, the use of antibiotics intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a great warning on the real impact that this pandemic could have on antimicrobial management programs and long-term antimicrobial resistance rates. The objective of this study was to evaluate the increase of New Delhi Metallo β-Lactamase (NDM)-producing Enterobacterales cases in COVID-19 units of a complex Brazilian tertiary hospital. This retrospective observational study included all patients admitted to the hospital identified as colonized or infected by NDM-producing Gram negative bacilli (GNB), from January 2017 to April 2021. Forty-two NDM-producing Enterobacterales were identified in 39 patients. The rate of NDM cases per total surveillance cultures increased progressively between 2017 and 2021 (chi-2 for trend, p < 0.0001) and was associated with a higher occurrence specifically in COVID units (Fisher exact, p < 0.0001). The molecular investigation of the NDM-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae strains revealed the emergence of diverse clones during the COVID-19 period, also with possible evidence of horizontal transmission among patients within COVID units. NDM-producing Enterobacterales with multiple and different clonalities in the COVID-19 units also raised questions about the importance of other factors besides horizontal clonal transfer, including the increase of antimicrobial consumption by these patients.